Child development and milestones:Your 43-month-old
Description
Your precious little one is going to be four in just a few months!
Physical Development
Your child will be moving around all the time. You will see him confidently walking up and down stairs with alternating feet (and here is probably where you will have to caution them not to run!).
He will be able to climb too, so you will want to make sure all furniture is bolted down. For a 43 month old child, the outdoors will be the best place to take him for him to run, ride a tricycle (or even a bicycle) and play catch with him.
You might even see him tumbling all over the place and start doing a few gymnastic moves!
In terms of fine motor skills, a 43 month old child should also easily be able to mimic you when building a pattern of blocks. He should be able to copy exactly using the same colours, the correct number and the same order of blocks.
He is also more comfortable with using tools like crayons and pencils. So if you were to draw a square on a piece of paper, your child should be able to copy it exactly.
Tips:
- Bring him to a kiddie gym often to let his imagination go wild and also to encourage the full range of his physical movements.
- If he has a strong interest in gymnastics, enrol him in a gymnastics class for flexibility and safety training. Or simply expose him to different types of surfaces and get him to practice his balancing skills.
- He still won’t have a mature grasp on how dangerous heights can be – so keep him away from high places as he might be tempted to jump.
- It is a great time to teach him how to ride a bicycle without training wheels!
- Now is a good time to buy more colouring books with slightly more intricate designs. Get your child interested in creative activities to hone his creativity.
- Expose your child to different art and materials, from simple clay pottery to painting with water colours or drawing with crayons.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
Is your child unable to use his pincer grasp to hold a crayon? Is he unable to hold a pair of scissors properly? If you answered “yes” to these, it could indicate a physical development lag. Consult with your paediatrician to rule out problems with muscle tone or gross motor skills.
Cognitive Development
During this period of their development, your little one will be asking a lot of “why” questions. Curiosity will be the main characteristic of a 43 month old child.
He will be able to correctly name familiar colours, understand the concept of what is same and different, and he will love to play pretend and fantasise more creatively. He will also believe magic is real – so don’t let anyone burst their bubble just yet!
One of the best parts of this development stage is that he will be able to understand and follow multi-part commands like “Go to the fridge, take out an apple and put it on the table.” He will also be able to remember more stories or TV shows, understand time (yesterday, tomorrow), do simple counting and more puzzles. He will also be more aware of different textures.
He may develop a preference to clothing he likes or dislikes, and at the same time, be able to dress himself the right way.
Interestingly, your child might impress you with his ability to stick to an activity even when distractions are present. This is the start of concentration developing, a useful skill he will need when he starts school.
Tips:
- Start letting your child “help” around the house. Ask him to bring you things or put things away.
- Be patient with his “why” questions. You might get a “why” right after answering them on another “why”. This is where you will have to brush up on your own general knowledge.
- Ensure the TV shows or stories they are being exposed to are age-appropriate. Since he is like an overly-eager sponge during this stage, it is a great time to introduce slightly more sophisticated, educational materials.
- Take your child shopping for clothes and let him pick out what he likes.
- Let your child concentrate on the task at hand whenever he seems fully immersed in it to encourage deeper concentration.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
If your 43 month old has an extremely short attention span or does not ask questions, then it’s best to speak to a paediatrician.
Social and Emotional Development
As your 43 month old is becoming more independent, you might find him or her wandering off, muttering to themselves. This is totally normal. 43 month olds often like to make long speeches to themselves and this is part of their imagination going wild.
It is also common to find your child playing alone for about 20 minutes or more, but he will still come to you for attention and comfort whenever he needs it.
He is also sensitive to how others feel at this stage and might be able to read non-verbal cues in situations a little better. This is where your child is forming his identity piece by piece, so he might become very strong-willed or rebellious.
But the good thing is that as he is preparing for the next stage of life. You will see him participate more in group activities, albeit for a short period of time.
Tips:
- Take him out to engage in more social activities, preferably those with a lot of teamwork involved.
- Explain the different emotions to your child, even more complex emotions like jealousy, to help him acclimatise to whatever he might be feeling or picking up on.
- Let him play alone whenever he is at home and encourage more creative play like dress up or make believe.
- If he is presenting a long soliloquy in front of you, listen and pay attention to what he is saying and offer praises from time to time.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
If your child continues to experience extreme separation anxiety or does not play with other children and respond to non-family members, then it may be time to consult the doctor.
Speech and Language Development
Now your child will be able to speak about 250 to 500 words and string together short sentences of about six consecutive words. Soon, he will also be able to create stories of his own to tell you.
He will be able to answer simple questions like his age, name and where certain things are with clarity. Most children of this age will be able to form complete sentences within the next few months.
Tips:
- Let your child tell your his stories and don’t interrupt him when he is speaking.
- Teach your child new words by exposing him to flash cards, as well as speech-related games and media.
- Start telling your kid stories, so he can also learn how to create stories of his own.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
If your child is not able to use simple sentences yet, and still confuses simple words like “me” and “you”, then it is possible that he or she could be going through a language or speech problem. Bring him to a doctor or speech expert who will suggest therapy or activities to help your little one.
Health and Nutrition
A healthy child’s weight and height at this age should be from 10.6kg to 22.4kg and be around 88 to 111.7cm tall.
Many children would have already formed food preferences at this point and you will also notice that he or she has a certain amount of food they eat during each meal. Allow your child to eat according to his or her appetite, never forcing them to finish everything on the plate or eat more than they wish to. This will prevent unhappy meal times.
At this age, they may not consume quite as much as they did in infancy. Here’s a quick sample menu of what to prepare for your child throughout the day:
Breakfast | 1 wholegrain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a cup of milk |
Mid-morning snack | 1 cup of blueberries (or about a handful) with half a cup of yogurt |
Lunch |
1 small mini burger (with salmon, chicken, beef or lamb) with sweet potato fries and a small orange OR Fried brown rice with minced chicken or beef and half an apple |
Mid-afternoon snack |
Carrot or cucumber sticks with hummus or tzatziki |
Dinner | Half a cup of whole grain penne or macaroni with tomato sauce and steamed vegetables and a quarter cup of strawberries |
Tips:
- You might have a fussy eater on your hands with very specific food preferences. He might even change his mind about his preferences from day to day – and that’s totally okay! Continue to offer a variety of healthy food. Let your child choose his or her favourites for the day. Then, try offering them the food they didn’t choose a day or two later.
- Give only small amounts of a new food for your child to taste alongside food he or she already likes.
- Turn off the TV! Young children are easily influenced by TV ads especially when it comes to unhealthy food like sugary cereals, fast food, and sweets.
When to Talk to Your Doctor:
If your child is not gaining any weight, you might want to take him to a nutritionist or a doctor. Children at this age should be going through a growth spurt.
There are no particular vaccines for children in this month, but be wary of common or seasonal illnesses like chicken pox, hand, foot and mouth disease and dengue.
Have fun with your 43 month old child! It’s a really great time after the terrible twos. Yes, at times you might feel like you have a threenager on your hands, but you’re going to have so much fun with your little one!